Desert-ed
by EmberLafonte
Summary: We all know what happened to Cress after she was kidnapped by Jina and the lot. And we all know Thorne rescued her like the hero he won't admit he is. But how did he get to Farafrah? (Two-part story)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm not used to writing on a laptop. It's weird. I usually use a notebook. Does everyone write on computers? Anyways, this fanfic takes place after Chapter 32 of Cress (my favorite chapter! AHHH!).**

 **Disclaimer: I am not Marissa Meyer in disguise. Therefore I do not own The Lunar Chronicles.**

Thorne had never felt so blind.

True, he _was_ actually blind, but even when traveling through the Sahara with Cress, he'd had a vague idea of where he was and what was going on. But now he was being led around a busy town full of conflicting noises and smells that he couldn't make sense of by an android who had previously tried to bleed his wallet dry. Not to mention Thorne wasn't exactly the trusting type.

But he had to find Cress.

"Master, I found an automobile as you requested. What would you like me to do now?" the escort-droid asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Thorne sighed. "I'm guessing you're not entirely open to the idea of stealing it?"

"My apologies, Master, but my programming will not allow me to conduct illegal activities."

"Yeah, that's going to be a problem," Thorne muttered.

The android continued. "I'm sorry I am unable to be of more assistance. Would you like me to..."

Thorne tuned out the mechanical chatter of the escort-droid while he contemplated how to get the stupid thing to help him steal the car. If it was legality she was concerned about, he would have to convince her that hijacking the vehicle wouldn't violate any laws. Unfortunately, he was good at breaking laws, not evading them. And he somehow felt that the android wouldn't be persuaded by his natural charm.

"Don't blind people get to break rules? Like bringing dogs into buildings?" Thorne tried.

"Yes, but your handicap does not excuse theft."

"It's not stealing if I'm going to give it back," Thorne protested, even though he had no intention of ever returning the car.

"Yes, Master. That would be joyriding, which is also illegal."

"It's less illegal," Thorne reasoned.

"I still cannot assist with illegal activities," the escort-droid insisted.

"Fine. Then you're not assisting anything. I'm kidnapping you."

"Technically, as I am not a human being, this would be a case of—"

"Does it matter?" Thorne snapped as he picked the lock on the car. Because of his unfortunate lack of sight, the task took him a full ten minutes. Then he proceeded to hop wire the vehicle, which took another fifteen minutes. Luckily the android was a cooperative hostage and stayed put.

Thorne hopped into the driver's seat. "Get in the car, escort-droid."

"I cannot, Master, or I would be helping you steal me."

"Oh, for all the stars!" Thorne exclaimed impatiently. They were wasting valuable time. He got out of the vehicle and dragged her into the passenger seat. Then he turned on the engine and sped off down the crowded street. He hoped he didn't hit anything.

"Which was is Farafrah?"

"North."

"Which way are we going?"

"South."

Thorne jerked the wheel and turned the car around, tires screeching.

"Escort-droid, is this north?"

"Yes, Master. I would appreciate it if you didn't call me escort-droid. My old master called me Darling."

Thorne shot an incredulous look in her direction. "What? No! I am not calling you Darling."

"You may give me a new name."

"Fine then. Your new name is...Darla."

"Good choice, Master," Darla said as an automatic response.

Thorne tried to ignore the android sitting next to him (which wasn't difficult as he couldn't see her), and they drove in silence.

But the silence made his thoughts wander to a certain blonde Lunar.

In truth, Thorne was freaking out. He had no idea if Cress was okay or what the caravaners were going to do with her or if he would ever see her again. For all he knew, Jamal could have lied about taking her to Farafrah.

He was also slightly freaked out that he was freaking out. Worrying was not something that he did regularly. Or ever.

"So, Darla, if I'm your master, why does that make you?" Thorne asked casually, putting on a disinterested façade.

"My old master called me his mistress," Darla replied in a monotone.

Thorne grimaced. "Mistress" sounded so incriminating.

"Okay. I can work with that."

After a few more minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. "Are we there yet?" Thorne inquired like a petulant child.

"We are approximately 1800 miles from Farafrah," Darla informed him.

Thorne leaned his head back against the seat and sighed. This was going to take a while.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! It's me again. Did the last chapter move too slow? I feel like it moved too slow. I don't know. (That rhymed.)** **Side note: I'm hungry.**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned The Lunar Chronicles, I would have published this as a short story and made a bunch of money.**

With a crash, the car came to an unceremonious halt.

"Aces, what was that?" Thorne demanded.

"We appear to have crashed into a tree, Master," Darla informed him.

Thorne wasn't really surprised. Since he was driving blind, crashing was unavoidable. He was actually kind of proud he'd made it this far.

"How bad is the damage?" He asked.

"There is a small tree-shaped dent in the front of the vehicle."

Thorne groped around for the stick-shift and set the car in reverse. The engine appeared to be working.

"Screw the dent," he said as he continued to drive through the desert.

"Maybe we should be driving on an actual road, Master," Darla suggested.

Thorne dismissed the idea. "That'll take too long. Besides, it's a little too late for that."

They were a few hours away from Farafrah. The closer they got to the small town, the more of a hot mess Thorne became. (Emphasis on the word hot.)

"How far away are we?" Throne asked for the ten millionth time.

"Approximately 170 miles away."

"We was about that far away the last time I asked!"

"The last time you asked was two minutes ago."

Thorne sighed. He couldn't wait to replace her personality chip.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Thorne prodded, although he knew the answer already. It would be the same as the last twenty-five times he'd asked.

"Yes, Farafrah is only a few miles out."

Thorne sat straight up in his seat. " _What?_ Really?"

"Yes, Master."

Thorne couldn't help the feeling of anticipation. He wondered if he would even find Cress in Farafrah. He wondered if she would even want to be rescued. After all, she had seen him with Darla, and how was she supposed to know she was an escort-droid?

Well, if Cress didn't want his help, then he would drag her out kicking and screaming, because there was no way he was letting that demented doctor do...whatever he did to her.

"We have arrived at Farafrah. Would you like me to-"

Thorne didn't wait for her to finish. He slammed on the brakes and got out of the car.

"Cress!" he called.

"Young man, what are you screaming about?" a woman's voice demanded.

"Do you know where I can find a crazy old doctor?" Thorne asked.

"Yes. He's right over there."

"I can't see where you're pointing."

"Turn around a little and go straight. There's an inn there, and he's staying on the top floor." the woman said.

Under normal circumstances, he would at least thank her. But these were not normal circumstances, and there was no time for politeness.

Thorne got back into the car and drove off in what he hoped was the direction of the inn.

 **A/N: Yeah, this story is weird. Um. This last part was slightly delayed because I was writing the first chapter of a TLC/Graceling crossover, which is up now (#shameless self promotion), and partly because I was procrastinating. On that awkward note, reviews are always appreciated :)**


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